Road Trips Made Easy, Thanks To THIS Game

Traveling with elementary school-age kids can sound daunting, but before you reach for earplugs or headache relief, try the license plate game.

By Lauren Hubbard
Published on 02/09/2017

Establishing a healthy work-life balance is important for every parent, whether you hold a full-time job, stay home with the kids, or work part-time. The idea of a weekend trip with your family sounds like just the ticket to relax and realign yourself before Monday rolls around. But, how will the kids behave in the car?

When traveling with elementary school-age kids, the thought of being confined in a car for a few hours can be daunting. Before you reach for the earplugs and headache relief, however, we may have the solution: Math games.

If you take a closer look at your surroundings, you’ll notice there are math elements aplenty. Our favorite way to pass the time with an educational boost is the license plate math game. Here’s how to play:

The object of the game is to reach 25 points, and the first player to do so wins.

The passenger in the front seat will be keeping score.

To start, each player must pick a number between 1 and 9.

As each car passes, players will look at the license plate hoping to find a pair or 3 of a kind of their selected number.

Each pair is worth 2 points and 3 of a kind are worth 3 points.

Players can also add up others numbers on a license plate to equal their number, which could help them spot a pair. For example, if a player’s number is 8 and the license plate is 8LPH53, the player can count this as a pair as 5 + 3 = 8 and the other number on the plate is 8.

If you’re looking to make the game more challenging, include a multiplication element. Have fun and travel safely!